It’s no secret that women have historically been conditioned to apologize for just about everything— menstruation being no exception. In fact, a Midol survey* found that 62% of menstruators under the age of 40 have apologized for their period. That’s why Midol is on a mission to put an end to period shame once and for all with a new campaign: #NoApologiesPeriod. Ahead, we get into why there’s such an apology disparity and share actionable tips to help break the habit for good.
*The Midol Survey was conducted among 1,000 nationally representative US women ages 18+ and 500 nationally representative US men ages 18+.
The Confidence Gap Is Still Going Strong
Despite the progress made, there’s still more work to be done to instill confidence in women, especially when compared to men. In 2017, the New York Times reported that ongoing societal stereotypes — such as the archaic beliefs that boys are better at sports and math — teach women self-doubt from an early age. In turn, women have a tendency to minimize themselves and apologize more often, even for things that are completely out of their control, like menstruating.
